The Pragmatic Identity Construction Of Female Discourse In Runaway From The Perspective Of Adaptation Theory

Identity research has always been the focus of sociologists and psychologists.With the blooming of linguistics,scholars proposed that identity study should take context into consideration.Therefore pragmatic identity has become the focus of identity study.Pragmatic identity is a specific identity contextualized in context,which is a pragmatic resource that can be invoked.Communicators construct various pragmatic identities in the context to satisfy the communicative needs by linguistic choices and pragmatic strategies.This is consistent with Adaptation Theory that language use is a continuous process of making choices,emphasizing linguistic choice and the dynamic process of communication.Hence,it is feasible to study the construction of pragmatic identity from the perspective of adaptation theory,which can be used as the theoretical framework of this study.Studies at home and abroad have shown that the study of pragmatic identity has applicability,especially the study of pragmatic identity in literary discourse has become the new focus.The study takes Verschueren's Adaptation Theory(2000)as theoretical framework,using the female discourse in the novel Runaway as data to explore the type of pragmatic identity of female discourse.In addition,it aims at the method of constructing pragmatic identity and its adaptability to the context correlates.Runaway,as Munro's master work,depicts various female characters who are ordinary but brave with “runaway” and “compromise” by plentiful dialogues.This is the reason why it is selected as data.The conclusions are drawn out that: firstly,the pragmatic identity of female discourse in the novel is mainly divided into three categories,the obedience identity,the escapee identity and the protester identity,under the female theme.The construction of the pragmatic identity expresses the female's struggle and compromise.Secondly,based on Chen's discourse practice types,pragmatic identity is mainly constructed by the choice of discourse characteristics,the discourse content,and the speech acts.Thirdly,the pragmatic identity construction of female discourse adapts to the contextual correlates in the aspect of physical world,social world,and mentalworld.In general,this thesis for one thing verifies the applicability of adaptation theory and pragmatic identity construction in literary discourse,which broadens the use of pragmatic identity theory.For other thing,it also provides a new research path for literary discourse research.It not only has an influence on author to construct characters,but also provides a new theoretical perspective on the appreciation of readers.